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Self-control is our brain’s capacity to resist speaking & acting on impulse. Besides self-awareness, it is one of the most important skills we can learn in life for making wiser & more appropriate decisions. By exercising self-control, we learn how ‘stepping back’ & patience (forbearance) can bring us more positive outcomes. Cultivating this skill, we begin to see how being calm & collected will often bring us greater clarity & understanding of how our thoughts & feelings influence our actions. With practice, we can learn to recognize the impulses and bodily sensations that underlie our strong emotional states like anger & desire.

Self-control is like a ‘mental muscle’. The more we exercise it, the stronger it becomes. Strengthening self-control helps us to be more discerning & considerate of our good & bad choices. By taking pause & reflecting before we act, we can become more aware & responsible for the potential consequences that may follow our impulsive outbursts.

As we refine our ability for self-control, we also can become more flexible and adaptive in working & coping with new situations that may be frustrating & difficult. We can learn to develop new & effective strategies for problem solving and for living with greater ease & balance.